Breech-mechanism lock for automatic firearms.



I H. 'BORGHAEDT. BBEEGH MECHANISM LOCK PUB AUTOMATIC FIREARMS.

APPLICATION nun AUG. 16; 1911.

Patented A 26,1913. r I I a sums-sum 1.

rney.

Witnesses:

v v v H. BORGHARDT.

BREE-CH MECHANISMLLOGK FOE AUTOMATIG FIREARMS.

urmoumx FILED 119.16, 1911.

Patented Aug.26, 1913.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H. BORGHARDT. 1 BREEGH MECHANISM LOOK For; AUTOMATIC FIREARMS.

AYPPLIGATIOH FILED AUG. 16, 1911. v

' Patented Aug. 26,1913.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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Application filed dugust lg, (184-1. Serial No. 644,318.

To all whom it may concern Be.it known that I, HUGO BoRcHARo'r, a" citizen of the United States of America, 're- I siding at No. -31 Kantstrasse, Gharlottenf burg, Germany, have invented new and .useful Improvements in Breech -Mechanism Looks for Automatic Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a breech mecha-?- nism lock for automatic firearms, which is: brought into the locking position by the; cartridge feed device. u

The object of the invention mainly .difj ferentia-ted from the known 'breech mechanism locks in that when the magazine is empty the locking device causes the closin action of the closing spring upon the vbreec I block to cease. Thls spring may also exert a bra-king action upon the breech block by? the intermediary of the locking device.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way ofexample in the accompanying drawing, in which: p

Figure '1 shows the rear portion of the weapon in side elevation partly in section with the breech closed immediately beforethe last cartridge is fired. Figs. 2 to fl are. fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectionsf illustrating different positions of the lock-f ing device to a larger scale, 2 in a position corresponding to Fig. 1, 1g. 3 with the breech open after the last cartridge has been fired and Fig. 4 in the same position with 'the locking spring engaged. F i 5 illustrates a modification, In which t e locking device does not exert a'braking action, but is shown in a position corresponding to Fig. 4.

The invention is shown applied to a, weapon'i n which the opening andclosin movement of the reciprocating breech bloc c .is effected by the pivoted levers h i and the breech closin spring f. The spring 1 which is mounted eneath the breech casing and guided on a rod 6' withcollar e is coupled with the rear'lever iby means of a link chain g for the purpose of obtaining this breech 7 closing action.

Beneath the guide path of the breech I block behindthemagazine the two-armed lever 'b is rockably .mounted on :the .pivot c in a recess in the breech casing; the front arm I) of this lever protrudes into the maga: zine through the rear wall of the magazine casing. The feed device 2 comprises at its f sequently at the beginnin movement of the ,breech book the collarc rea a a p j ct on 2 which, h h

magaz is p y 11 g benea h he p rt1on of the lever arm which projects into the magazine so that ,the lever b 'leayes its normal position (Fig. 2) 'in which it is held by the. spring (2 (which acts upon a nose 6 on the lever) and assumes thelocking osit1on (Figs, '3,5) under the nfluence 0 ,the

more powerful feed device spring 2 The rear ,arm I) of the 'lever'b is bent downward the pro'ecting nose I) forming a 1 shoulder Z) on he lower side of this arm and when the lever ismoved into the locking position this shoulder projects into the path of the collar 6 on the spring guide rode. Coir of the closing comes behind the shoulder b so that the lever Y1 itself interrupts the further movement of the locking spring and consequently the action of the s ring ,on the levers h i and the breech bloc the sense of closing the 1 breech. The closing spring then holds the lever in the locking position. When a fresh -magazine has been inserted in )lace the lever k-ca-n be released by drawing back the breech block, so that under the pressure of the spring a this lever rocks out 'of the path of the locking spring.

The lever 12 can be formed in such a manner that the locking action of the closing spring on the breech block is eliminated (Fig. 5) or else so that the closing spring is caused to exert a braking action 'uponthe breech block by the intermediary .of the lever 0 (Fig. 4 In the former .case the breech block can readily be displaced by hand with the closof especia advantage when the breech block is to be stopped at a given point, for '.X'

ample for charging the magazine. In this case it is preferable to provide a special res error. I

taining device (not shown) for the breech block. If, however, the closing spring is also required to exert a braking action upon the breech block, the front lever arm Z) is formed as a braking arm. This braking arm I) is then pressed against the breech block in the direction of-the arrow 6' by the closing spring acting upon the lever arm 6 (Fig. 4:) thus braking the block; The braking action can be renderedstronger or weaker by suitably forming the lever b.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising, a magazine, a breech block, a closing sprin for said breech block,

2. Breech mechanism .for automatic fire- "arms comprising, a magazine, a breech block, a closing spring for said breech block, a cartridge feed device, and means under control of said cartridge feed de-s vice adaptedto engage said breech closing spring to interrupt 1ts closing action on said breech block when said magazine is empty, said breech block being-free to move forward when said sprin is locked.

3. Breech mechanism or automatic firearms comprising, a magazine, a breech block, a closing sprin for said breech block, a cartridge feed evice, means under control of said cartridge feed device adapted to engage said breech closing spring and operated by said spring to exert braking action upon said breech block.

4. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising, a breech block, aclosing spring for said breech block, a cartridge feed device, and breech block braking means under control of said cartridge feed device adapted to engage said breech closing sprlng.

g 5. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising, a breech block, a closing spring for said breech block, a cartridge feeddevice, a pivoted. lever under control of said cartridge feed device adapted to engage said breech closing spring, and a surface on said lever adapted to exert braking action'on said breech block. i 6. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising the combination with a breech block of a closing spring for the said breech block, a cartridge feed device and a pivoted lever one armof which projects into the magazine and by; the other arm engaging the said breech closing spring when the magazine is empty.

'7. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising the combination with a breech block of a closing spring for the said breech block, a cartridge feed device ar-' ranged in the magazine and a pivoted lever one arm of which projects into the magazine theother arm being bent downwardlv and having a shoulder thereon said shoulder c0- acting with the said breech block closing the path of said cartridge feed device the other end being bent downwardly and having a shoulder thereon which engages the said breech closing spring when the magazine is empty and a spring for holding the ivoted lever out of engagement with the reech closing spring when the magazine is not empty.

9. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising the combination with a breech block' of a closing spring for the said breech block, a cartridge feed device situated in a magazine having an opening therein, a 'pivoted'lever one end of which projects into the magazine through said opening the other end being bent down Wardly and having a shoulder thereon which engages the breech closing spring when the magazine is empty said lever having a projectionagainst which a spring bears to hold the pivoted lever out of engagement with the breech closing spring when the magazine is not empty.

' 10. Breech mechanism for automatic firearms comprising the. combination with a breech block of a closing spring for the said breech block, a cartridge feed device and a pivoted lever one end of which projects into the magazine and has a braking. surface which is pressed against the breech block .by the breech closing spring engaged by the other arm of the said pivoted lever when the magazine is empty.

11. Breech'mechanism for automatic firearms comprising the combination with a breech block of a breech closing spring, two knee-jointed levers pivoted to the breech block and to the breech casing respectively, the rear lever being coupled with the breech closing spring by means of a link chain, and

a pivoted lever one arm of which engages the breech closing spring when the other arm is engaged by the cartridge feed device after having breech casing.

In witness Iwhereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

I HUGO BORCHARDT. Witnesses:

ROBERT MICHALSKI, WOLDEMAR HAUPT.

fed the last cartridge into the 

